For the last 31 years, Brophy’s swim and dive team has been the definition of perfection. The team has not lost a single state championship in that span, but according to second-year head coach Daren Brubaker, “winning is not everything.”

“When you get to the golden gates, God is not going to ask you how many championships you have won,” Brubaker said. “He’s not going to ask you how many gold medals you have won. He is going to ask you two things. What have you done for me, and what have you done for others?”

Even so, the pressure of sustaining this dynasty is still in the minds of many of the Brophy swimmers. 

The Broncos will bring their A-game as they look to defend the 31st annual Brophy/Xavier Invitational on Saturday. The meet will start at 9 a.m. and will feature some of the best swim teams across the valley.

“Like we always say, it’s like we are standing on the shoulders of giants,” senior Dylan Krueger said. 

Winning and keeping the tradition alive is still important to the Broncos coaching staff. 

“Our goal this year is to win all three relays and keep the tradition of winning the 400-meter relay at the end as well,” Brubaker said. 

One main aspect of Brophy’s coaching that makes them so successful is their focus on the team and not the individual. Even though nobody gets cut during tryouts, Brubaker emphasized working with everyone, even the less experienced freshmen.

Krueger experienced this when he joined the team his freshman year. 

“This team has definitely been a big part of my life,” he said. “Starting out as a freshman I didn’t think I would be where I am now.”

Krueger is now one of the captains on the team, and he tries to incorporate this mentality as a leader. 

“What we try to do as captains and as seniors is, we just try to bring the whole team together,” he said. “Instead of just being a swim team, we are a family. That’s the stuff that we try to create on this team, an environment where we all support each other.”

Brophy athletic director Bill Woods believes that the combination of a top-notch education and a history of winning is what attracts young swimmers to Brophy. 

“Brophy has a history of success as more than just a great ‘swim’ school,” Woods said in an email. “Parents know that when they send their young men to Brophy that they are going to receive the best education in the valley and have a great experience swimming. Great athletes want to be a part of that tradition.”

Brubaker said that many of his players dedicated themselves to improving their times from last year by working hard in the offseason. 

“Whatever you put in the sport is what you get out of it, and that’s important to maintain that mentality all throughout the offseason. I’m pleased that these guys still go at it,” Brubaker said.

The Broncos have not lost a dual meet in 42 years, and that streak does not look like it is going to end anytime soon. The Broncos won their first three dual meets against Chaparral, Pinnacle and Mountain View, but there is still room for improvement. 

“We’ve definitely stepped up our effort,” Krueger said “It doesn’t matter about the times or the results, but I think we have been doing a good job executing our races, making sure we are doing the details right. The dives, the turns, the underwaters; all those small details are the things that add up in swimming, and those are definitely the things we need to work on.”